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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Liam

30 replies

17caterpillars1mouse · 22/07/2017 07:02

What are your thoughts on Liam? Possibly as a stand alone name or possibly as a shortening for William. I actually really like William but ways assumed everyone would shorten it to Will?

Do you know any William's who go by Liam? And how many Liam's do you know?

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Weebo · 22/07/2017 21:15

I have never met a Liam who wasn't nice.

I like the name. Smile

ilovewine · 22/07/2017 21:12

I have a Liam (Christened William) and he is the loveliest kind and sweet boy who has lots of empathy for other people (he is 8 btw). His dad is called William (Bill) and his dad is called William (Billy) and his dad was called William so I had to concede for family tradition even though I am not a fan of William (the Bill, Billy thing). He has been called Liam from the sec he was born and in school etc no one even realises he is actually a William and it's never been a problem Smile
My sister is a teacher and she did say all the naughty boys were called Liam 😂 mine isn't Winkxx

squoosh · 22/07/2017 20:27

It's like that other Irish boys' name that was embraced by the UK and then fell majorly out of fashion................KEVIN.

MySecretToTell · 22/07/2017 20:22

Thank you squoosh Grin

I'm really surprised that it's common knowledge that Liam is an Irish name, I had no idea Blush To me it sounds so English and none of the Liam's I have looked after had obvious Irish connections.

LilaBard · 22/07/2017 20:09

I live in Northern Ireland and have never met an Ulliam either. Lots of Liams though, both as a stand alone name and as a short version of William. Traditional and still popular here, but that doesn't stop it being a very lovely name.

squoosh · 22/07/2017 20:08

Because Liam is a name that originated in Ireland and would originally have been shortened from Uilliam from the Norman name Guillaume. William was the English for Guillaume.

Liam as a shortening of William seems to be a very recent thing.

MySecretToTell · 22/07/2017 19:57

''If it were to be considered a shortening techincally it would be short for Uilliam although I've never actually met a Uilliam.''

Squoosh why short for Uilliam and not William? I genuinely have no idea, this isn't intended to be sarcastic or snappy. Genuinely I'd like to know if there is a rule.

squoosh · 22/07/2017 19:40

I think the Welsh and Scottish boys' names get the naughty tag too.

Not the English ones though...Wink

DramaAlpaca · 22/07/2017 19:36

Yes squoosh, it was inevitable really. At this stage I've lost count of the number of times on MN I've seen Irish boys name = naughty boy name.

I've never met an Uilliam either, maybe it's due a revival.

squoosh · 22/07/2017 19:23

If it were to be considered a shortening techincally it would be short for Uilliam although I've never actually met a Uilliam.

squoosh · 22/07/2017 19:21

It's a name in its own right rather than just a shortening of William.

I only clicked on the thread to count the 'naughty boy' comments though.

Sophronia · 22/07/2017 17:39

Liam Gallagher is really a William.

I'd use it short for William.

stresshead84 · 22/07/2017 15:55

I have one. He's just Liam on his birth cert as it's a stand alone name.

Might be seen as a naughty boy name, but he's not nearly as naughty as his brother or lots of his friends!

MySecretToTell · 22/07/2017 14:37

When I replied earlier I didn't want to be the first to say it but now that others have then I will. In my mind Liam is a naughty boys name.

MyBeloved · 22/07/2017 13:25

I used to teach, and every single Liam was a challenge behaviour-wise!

Lovely name though Smile

SirRodneyEffing · 22/07/2017 13:23

I know of 2 lads called Liam. In both cases their behaviour leaves a lot to be desired unfortunately

temporarilyjerry · 22/07/2017 13:23

I know two Liams, short for William and really like it. One of them is DH's uncle. We call him Uncle Liam, but his wife calls him Bill. Conversations can be a little confusing.

DramaAlpaca · 22/07/2017 13:16

I love Liam.

It's a name in its own right, not short for William.

In Ireland it doesn't have any 'naughty boy' connotations, it's just a normal name - the Irish version of William.

CaoNiMartacus · 22/07/2017 13:10

Love the name Liam.

BusterGonad · 22/07/2017 12:06

I've never known a William go by Liam. Just choose Liam imo! Smile

greendale17 · 22/07/2017 10:09

I agree with BikeRunSki- the name is associated with badly behaved boys

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 22/07/2017 10:04

Imo Liam is a nice standalone name.

I don't know any Williams who choose to go by Liam.

SuperBeagle · 22/07/2017 09:56

I don't like Liam, but it's a perfectly acceptable standalone name.

I think it'd be very difficult to avoid Will with William.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 22/07/2017 09:48

Liam is a lovely stand alone name.

BikeRunSki · 22/07/2017 08:47

I knew a Liam short for William as a child. He was very well do di, and Irish.

Unfortunately more recently, Liam is a name I associate with badly behaved, disruptive children. There's one in each of the DC's classes, was another at nursery and one in a spurs club who have all been little thugs!